Monster Hunter, start with a wife!

Chapter 64 Abyss Hunter

Cheng Zhuo accepted the package and, without hiding anything, opened it in front of Catherine.

Inside was a leather suitcase about the size of a book. When it was opened, it made a "click" sound, and a soft purple light emanated from within.

A Source Power card lay quietly on the velvet lining.

There was also an envelope under the card.

"Wow, when did Uncle Wang become so generous?" Catherine adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses, staring at the cards as she examined them.

"Just for the title of 'strongest rookie,' you get an epic card?!"

Cheng Zhuo was also stunned for a moment. With his fingertips hovering above the card, he could clearly feel the faint tremors of the source energy flowing in the card's patterns.

It is indeed epic, without a doubt.

The title of "Strongest Newcomer" sounds impressive, but having four in a year isn't really a rare honor.

It might garner some attention for Redstone Town, but it's not really of much use to this small town that could be swallowed up by the ecosystem at any moment.

He originally thought he would only receive a bonus of tens of thousands of city-state coins at most.

Unexpectedly, Mayor Wang, whom I had never met before, sent me an epic-level card.

As Cheng Zhuo carefully examined the card information, his eyes lit up instantly:

[Thunder Scepter - Weapon Card]

[Quality: Epic - Purple]

[Effect: When summoned using a scepter, the summoned entity can be instantly recalled to its original card; the summoned entity will also learn the Beast Pet Skill 'Thunder Punishment,' the power of which is directly proportional to the summoned entity's own strength.]

[Usage Restriction: Summoning]

[Description: Crafted by an unnamed weapon master, the staff's patterns closely resemble an ancient deity's scepter. Unfortunately, its source energy capacity is insufficient, rendering it a 'low-quality imitation'.]

"Lightning Punishment..."

Cheng Zhuo lightly tapped the lightning patterns on the card with his fingertip.

He had a premonition…

If the jar were to unleash "Thunder Punishment," the effect could be astonishing.

After carefully putting the cards away, Cheng Zhuo's gaze fell on the envelope still lying in the box.

The envelope looked very special, with a dark red stone seal on the seal.

Cheng Zhuo pinched the edge of the envelope, feeling the unique weight of paper documents under his fingertips. In this day and age, this type of envelope is quite rare.

He removed the sealing wax and pulled out a dark card.

When the two large, gold-plated characters "Abyss" appeared, Cheng Zhuo's fingers paused subconsciously.

"Huh???"

Catherine was so shocked that she instinctively squeezed next to Cheng Zhuo, her face almost touching the card, her expression full of disbelief:

"An Abyss Hunter card? Could it be for you? Quick, quick, look at the back..."

Cheng Zhuo did as instructed and flipped the card over.

The bottom right corner is jet black.

The words "Cheng Zhuo" were prominently printed in small gold lettering.

This Abyss Hunter card is produced by Towerstone and cannot be counterfeited or stolen. Obtaining this card means officially entering the main battle circle of a faction, a qualification that countless hunters would kill for.

Catherine, standing to the side, stared at the dark card face, stroking her chin:

"It seems there really aren't many newcomers left in this town. You haven't even reached the next level yet, and you've already gotten an Abyss Card..."

Is it really just because there are no new faces?

Cheng Zhuo repeatedly stroked the strange patterns on the card, a question mark forming in his mind.

The Abyss Hunter is arguably the ultimate goal for most hunters. Among the various Beacon factions, only those with a certain level of strength or potential have a chance to obtain this card.

After all, Abyss Hunters represent the face of a faction.

If we consider the various realms outside as part of a team-based dungeon mode...

That abyss is the single-player endless mode.

The hunter's name, rank, guild, and location of the beacon are all linked to kill points and displayed in real time on the Abyss leaderboard.

It would be very embarrassing to be overshadowed by someone less skilled than yourself.

It's clear that Mayor Wang thinks highly of him.

Don't be too nervous.

Seeing that Cheng Zhuo was holding the Abyss Card without saying a word, Catherine assumed he was intimidated by the word "Abyss," so she gently patted his shoulder and comforted him:

"The Abyss Hunters in our Redstone Town aren't as cunning as those in other places. We've been at the bottom for many years now, and the townspeople are used to it. Besides, there's still more than a month until the Abyss opens again, so there's no need to think about it now."

"Us?" Cheng Zhuo was taken aback.

"Are you from Redstone Town too?"

"Of course, didn't I say so?" Catherine raised an eyebrow. "By the way, I have something for you too."

As she spoke, she turned and walked back to the bookshelf.

He pulled a canvas bundle from the top shelf and dumped it all onto the table with a "whoosh".

A sea of red.

It was a pile of Redstone Town's tower stones.

"cough……"

Seeing Cheng Zhuo staring blankly at the tower stone, Catherine's ears turned slightly red, and she scratched the back of her head and chuckled awkwardly.

"I tricked you that day. Other towns really don't have many Tower Stones left, but Redstone Town has more than we can use. That 20,000... I've spent it all. I'll pay you back tomorrow when I get the money from selling the goods, hahaha—"

"No need to return it," Cheng Zhuo shook his head and smiled.

"You've been a great help today, don't worry about that little bit of money."

"What needs to be repaid should be repaid, one thing at a time."

Catherine shook her head. "I never betray my own people."

As she spoke, she took out three pieces and handed them to Ruan Qinghe and the other two women respectively:

"I heard you're going to Redstone Town to make a contract. This will do. The route from here to Redstone Town will pass through a medium-danger zone. You should make sure you have some self-defense capabilities before you go."

"Thank you, sister." The three women accepted the gifts and expressed their gratitude.

"Don't worry about the Abyss yet." Catherine looked at Cheng Zhuo again, her tone becoming more serious:

"Let's prepare for entering H0173 tomorrow. To be honest, I originally wanted to recruit you, but it was just the higher-ups' idea. I was actually a little worried about entrusting Anuo and the other two to you. But since Uncle Wang thinks so highly of you, I'm relieved."

"Are you very familiar with Mayor Wang?" Cheng Zhuo pressed.

Catherine nodded slightly. "Yes, I grew up in the town's orphanage. He was the mayor and also the orphanage director..."

……

Cheng Zhuo and Catherine learned about the situation in the town, and then Cheng Zhuo asked her some questions about team coordination.

As the instructor of a low-potential wolf pack squad, she trained her members using only one method:

Use war as training.

So far, Anno and his team have only been in combat training for a little over a week.

It's more about cultivating one's mindset.

Therefore, there are no clear team divisions or tactical training for the time being. They need to overcome their fear of the Void Realm before they can become true Void Hunters.

Originally, Cheng Zhuo's identity was mostly held by some veterans in the guild who had not yet reached the next level. However, recently, many long-term medium-risk Void Realms have appeared in the River Valley, and a large number of veterans have been recruited as servants. That's why a group of wilderness hunters were recruited from outside.

Given the above arrangement, it is naturally because H0173 is relatively safe.

Although distortions are prone to occur, the boundary gate allows for entry and exit at any time.

So Catherine told him not to worry, and that he could kill in H0173 the same way he killed in the Endless Wasteland.

Night was falling.

After returning to the room.

Cheng Zhuo took a quick shower and stood in front of the projection TV in the room for a long time.

The video above is playing on a loop, showing Mu Yanzhi killing a fifth-tier overlord-level alien beast.

She was wearing the same business suit she had just worn when she met Cheng Zhuo, her expression aloof.

He held a seemingly ordinary longsword in his hand.

With a gentle wave.

There was no earth-shattering sword light, nor did it even create any extra airflow.

The overlord-level beast, with a body nearly a hundred meters long, was instantly split in two from head to abdomen, as if sliced through butter with a sharp knife.

"Tonight, a four-star boundary gate suddenly broke through at the Nanling Ruins! Third- to fifth-tier alien beasts have entered the low-risk zone. The overlord-level Black Ridge Beast has been killed, and the rest are being pursued. All units in low-risk zones are requested to be on alert. If any are discovered, report to the high-level hunting teams immediately and do not engage in blind combat..."

"She's amazing."

Ruan Qinghe's envious voice came, and then a pair of cool, slender arms gently wrapped around Cheng Zhuo's waist and abdomen.

"You'll be just as amazing someday."

Cheng Zhuo pulled her in front of him and rubbed her cheeks.

Ruan Qinghe slightly pursed her red lips:

"You're lying, I'm just a pastor."

"Who says priests can't carry swords?" Cheng Zhuo raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, yes, you're right."

Ruan Qinghe's eyes curved into crescent moons, and she lifted his chin with her fingertips, saying:

"My husband is a Summoner who also plays Launcher, and he likes to take on three opponents at once!"

"Um?"

Cheng Zhuo was taken aback and looked at the girl in his arms in surprise: